The area of the southern Aegean Sea between the Cycladic islands and the Dodecanese is dotted with rocky islets, many of them uninhabited by humans but rich in bird life. On the margins of the busy ferry routes and the island-hopping schedules, the rocky archipelago has become known among ornithologists as “the Galapagos of the Mediterranean” for its biodiversity. Many rare and endangered species of seabird and other endemic fauna and flora flourish in this corner of the sea away from tourism and development. According to ornithological studies, uninhabited Greek islets host 80% of the global population of Eleonora’s falcon and 60% of the global population of Mediterranean seals.
Large parts of the area belong to the EU’s Natura 2000 network, habitats designated as protected areas for conservation of wild fauna and flora. EU law obliges national governments to shield these areas from uses which degrade the environment and threaten biodiversity.
This was until recently the site of an ambitious proposal, billed by the developers as “a flagship for the renewable energy industry, environment and the Greek economy”.
The AIGAIO Project was put forward by renewable energy company Eunice (EEG) envisioned a network of over 100 wind turbines connected by underwater transmission cables to mainland Greece and the islands of Crete, Kos and the Dodecanese. In addition to the turbines and the cables, the project would require the construction of 14 ports, roads totalling 71 km and supporting infrastructure including homes for staff and waste treatment plants on the islands.
AIGAIO was eventually turned down for an environmental license by Greece’s Environment and Energy Ministry in May 2021, but not before making it onto the shortlist of the EU’s marquee energy projects – despite flouting EU law.
